Method and apparatus for a dynamic air cushion transport system

Abstract

Conveying systems and methods are provided that selectively controls gas-propelling devices to move objects over the conveyer table at different speeds and in different directions. The systems and methods include a conveyer table having of an array of gas-propelling devices that propel gas from a surface of the table. Each of the of gas-propelling devices can have layers arranged in a stack and a through-hole in the stack and the table. The surfaces of each of the layers are exposed in the interior of the through hole and a heating/cooling device selectively heats and/or cools the layers to generate thrust.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A system for transporting objects along a path, said system comprising:
 a conveyer table comprised of an array of gas-propelling devices that propel gas from a surface of the table, each of said plurality of gas-propelling devices being comprised of:
 at least a first layer and a second layer arranged in a stack, 
 at least one through-hole in the stack and the table, wherein a surface of each of said layers is exposed in the interior of the through-hole; and 
 a heating/cooling device that selectively heats and/or cools the first layer and selectively heats and/or cools the second layer of each of the gas-propelling devices. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the heating and/or cooling of each of the gas-propelling devices is selectable by a controller. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein each of the gas-propelling devices includes a corresponding heating and/or cooling device. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the conveyer table includes a plurality of selectable transport paths. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , comprising an object tracker that simultaneously tracks a plurality of objects that are disposed on the conveyer table. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the conveyer table includes one or more pressure sensors corresponding, respectively, to the positions of said gas-propelling devices. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the through-holes are distributed at substantially equal distances across the conveyer table. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 1 , wherein said gas-propelling devices are NMSets. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 8 , wherein the NMSets are stacked with a parabolic geometry. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 8 , wherein the NMSets are stacked with a sawtooth geometry. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 8 , NMSets are stacked with a triangular geometry. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the heating/cooling device is a Peltier device. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the heating/cooling device establishes a Field-Enhanced Thermionic Emission device that establishes an electric field between the first layer and the second layer. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 1 , wherein a gap separates a first layer from a respective second layer. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one through-hole in the table is aligned with the at least one through-hole in the stack.